Mission possible for young Pickering rapper

Little T attracting lots of attention

Mission possible for young Pickering rapper

Ryan Pfeiffer / Metroland

PICKERING -- Tara Lord released her first album, Mission Impossible, under her performing name Little T in December 2012 and has a video playing on Much Music. The 13 year old is a Grade 8 student at E.B. Phin Public School. February 4, 2013.

PICKERING -- She may be small, but Little T is making a big splash on the music scene.

The 13-year-old Pickering rapper has released a CD, Mission Impossible, and her music video for the song Octagon is being played on MuchMusic. It's generating a lot of buzz, including at her school, E. B. Phin Public School, where her peers are approaching Little T, aka Tara Lord, and telling her she's famous.

So, what's it like to be a celebrity?

"It's so much fun," Tara says. "I get to meet new people. I love performing."

Music is in her blood. Her father, Ryan Lord, grew up in the music business and fronted the rap group Top Secret. He was recording rap music long before it became popular and Tara as a child met stars such as K'naan. Even when she was four or five years old, she would tell her dad, 'I want to be a tinger'."

Now she is and Tara has an ace-in-the-hole in her father, who has a lot of advice to impart. He tells her not to try to sound like any other artist, that swearing and flashing bling and cash doesn't make one a rapper.

"She's hard, but clean," Lord says of her style.

Now she's working on freestyling and Lord says she's "so fast."

They co-wrote the songs on Mission Impossible and Tara says writing with her father "is just a fun thing," not scheduled. The album, available at cdbaby.com, features songs that announce Little T's arrival (Just Like Dat), celebrate a fun day of the week (Saturday), about bullying (LUSY) and even a love story (Jose).

Of the latter, Lord says, "she has no boyfriend, I hope."

Lord first got MuchMusic's attention when he and two friends shot a video for Back Up Off Me, off Mission Impossible, and posted it on YouTube. He received a MuchFACT grant to have a professional video made and the result is Octagon, shot at a mixed martial arts studio in Toronto. MuchFACT, a non-profit organization, is funded by MuchMusic and MuchMore.

And then the calls started. Little T has played shows featuring, as you might guess, much older artists and the offers keep coming in. She performed at Bitter Sweet 3 in Toronto last month, plays another artist showcase Sunday and is scheduled for a March all-ages event.

Tara, who does well in school, took gymnastics and is a whiz in the kitchen, says she's more nervous speaking in front of people than singing before an audience. She plans on staying in music as long as people like what she's doing.

Her father says that could be a while. And though Lord's not pushing her, he says a second album is almost guaranteed and a record deal is very likely.

"From the response that we've received in a short time, I think we're going to get a deal," Lord says.

Check out Little T online at topsecretops.com and on Facebook and Twitter.